Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Wing
by Nyneve
Summary: AC 203.  The peace of ESUN is threatened by the invasion of strange beings calling themselves Sailor Senshi.  To protect the planet, the former Gundam pilots must reunite and work with five mysterious young women.  Not your average GWSM.
1. Episode 1:  The Shooting Star He Saw

**The Shooting Star He Saw**

"What is the difference between intelligence and artificial intelligence? If a man and a computer follow the same thought process and arrive at the same conclusion, is one more right, more _real _than the other? Can we equate intelligence with consciousness, and can we equate consciousness with a soul? If so, then is it possible that any machine possessing AI-a mobile suit, for example-may have judgments, values, fears, dreams, hopes? And what might the soul of something designed only to destroy look like?"

-Dr. Susan Asimov

* * *

It is the year After Colony 203, late spring in the Earth Sphere Unified Nation. The world is in a relative state of peace, as it has been for the past seven years. Expansion and development has continued at a steady rate in the colonies, and the large number of jobs available has caused an economic boom, although many resent the fortunes being amassed by corporate CEOs. A terraforming project is taking place on Mars, and the government plans to send the first group of settlers within a few years. Mobile suits are still present, but as a force of labor only. Weaponry is placed only in the hands of law enforcement and the very few, very closely monitored militias.

Throughout the planet and colonies, election season is rapidly approaching. In November, one of the largest scale elections the world has ever known will commence. Top runner for President is Foreign Minister Relena Dorlian, who, although still a young woman of twenty-three, has received steady support from both the Earth and the colonies since her appointment eight years ago. With a platform promising economic reform, increased funding to education and health services, and full support for the Mars project, lobbyists and lawmakers are already planning how best to work with the former Princess of Sanc and Queen of Earth.

The summer looks to be one of promise. Every night shooting stars fall to Earth like blessings from God himself.

Blessings, and omens.

* * *

"Miss Relena! Miss Relena!" the little blond girl cried as she ran towards the stately woman in the business suit. Smiling, Relena dropped to one knee to accept the child's embrace, very aware of the flashing lights around her as the press captured this tender moment for all the world to see. She could imagine the headlines now: New York For Dorlian.

There were a lot of hassles about being on the campaign trail, but greeting her supporters was one Relena never tired of. Unlike some of the other candidates, there was nothing fake about her smiles or waves; she was truly happy to be out and about amongst the people. After all, it was a lot better than being cooped up in meetings or watching yet another smear ad against her opponents and grudgingly endorsing it. She had to admit, there was a personal satisfaction in hearing people chanting "Dor-lian! Dor-lian!", but Relena never forgot that being president meant helping these people. Stops like this were chances to put some names and faces, even if only a handful, to the mass of citizens she would be required to serve.

The child in her arms pulled back and looked at Relena with wide brown eyes. "Are you gonna be the president, Miss Relena?" she asked with a note of wonder in her voice. Although some of the minister's advisors tried to discourage the casual form of address, Relena herself preferred it to "Minister Dorlian" or "Candidate Dorlian."

Laughing, she ruffled the girl's hair. "We'll find out in November, won't we?" she remarked, then allowed the girl's parents to take her back.

Standing up straight, the minister smoothed down her maroon Armani suit and made sure her matching ribbon was still straight, not a single strand of sandy blond hair untucked. Appearance assured, she continued moving through the crowd, shaking hands and thanking the people for their words of encouragement.

At the end of what passed for a path, her private limo was parked, and a young man with messy brown hair was waiting silently, his blue eyes giving her a rather annoyed look. Relena gave him an apologetic smile. They should have gotten going fifteen minutes ago, but she couldn't just ignore the crowd that had gathered outside the NYU student center. Not when some of them had come all the way down from Canada to see her, as one old man had informed her.

Finally, she reached the door of the limo, then turned around and gave everyone a dazzling smile and a wave. "Thank you all so much for your continued support. This...all of this...couldn't be done without you. _Can't_ be done without you. Please vote in November everyone, and I promise, I will do everything I can to help each and every one of you!"

Not the greatest of speeches, but it was sincere enough to make the crowd erupt in applause, a sound that could still be heard thundering outside as she climbed into the limo.

Once she was inside, the blue-eyed man joined her and removed his suit coat, revealing a white button-down shirt underneath and a gun in a shoulder holster by his left arm. He removed it for a moment, putting the safety back on, then replaced it to the holster.

"You have to be more careful in these crowds, Relena. Don't get separated from me again," he said, his voice a low grumble as his eyes gazed out the window, not focusing on the woman at his side.

Relena rolled her eyes. "Heero, Mr. Wyler makes sure the place is secure before I ever step foot anywhere. Nothing's going to happen to me." A small grin crossed her face. "You wouldn't let it," she added, leaning her head on his shoulder.

He stiffened, and didn't look back. Relena sighed and sat up straight. Things had been rough between them for a while now. Ever since she'd accepted candidacy for president, she'd been working almost nonstop. Of course as her bodyguard, Heero was with her most of the time, but they hadn't had a moments peace to themselves almost two years. And a few months ago, they'd stopped sleeping together entirely.

Oh they loved each other still, that was true. But as Relena had told him, she wasn't in a position to dedicate herself to him entirely. The needs of the people came first, would _always_ come first. Heero accepted and respected that, but still...

They were never going to be a normal couple. That had been the beauty of it, originally. But people change as they grow up. Relena was a woman now, stronger than ever, more devoted than ever to the good of the people and with fewer concerns for her own happiness than she'd ever possessed.

But Heero was essentially the same. Perhaps a bit more haunted by his past, now that he'd had years to consider his actions during the war. As peace descended on the world, he, like many people who'd known nothing but fighting, had struggled to find himself and his purpose in life in a world without soldiers. After the Mariemaia incident, he'd spent several months alone, traveling and trying to evaluate his next moves. What did he want from life? What good could he still do in the world?

He didn't know. Nothing made sense. Indeed, there was only one thing that had ever made sense to him outside of the battlefield, and that was the pretty, slightly annoying, completely determined girl he'd met that day so long ago on the beach. So he came back to her and dedicated his life to her, and finally allowed himself the love that had been beckoning him since their first meeting.

But people change.

Both of them knew in the deep recesses of their hearts and minds that a breakup was coming. But while Heero was slowly trying to figure out how to cope with the forthcoming loss, Relena had been wracking her brain to find a way to save things without compromising the campaign. A vacation was out of the question. Engagement even more so. She had suggested some time apart when things started getting bad, but Heero refused to trust her safety to anyone else. He had been her bodyguard longer than anyone, and was loathe to another man (or woman) take the job.

Not a single word passed between them during the limo ride. JFK was approaching rapidly. There they would board a plane to LA, where Relena had a meeting regarding her new health plan, as well as a few with other heads of state regarding the current state of affairs in ESUN. Her campaign manager, a man named Richard Wyler, also suggested touring UCLA and the docks at Long Beach for more promotional meetings. All in all, the trip would probably be three days.

She thought a moment. Three days. Likely the meetings wouldn't go too late tomorrow, and Wyler would probably want to wait until the next day to take any tours. That gave her tomorrow night relatively free.

Relena looked over at her bodyguard. "Hey, Heero?"

"Yeah?"

She folding her hands in her lap, suddenly feeling nervous. _For God's sake, Relena! You've know this man since you were fifteen! He's been your boyfriend-sort of-for almost eight years! Don't choke about asking him out now!_

"Tomorrow night, after the meeting...could we have dinner somewhere? Just the two of us?" she asked.

"I was thinking we could go to that place in Manhattan Beach, maybe have a glass of wine and watch the sunset..."

Heero looked at her and blinked, surprised at the suggestion. Even when Relena did have spare time, she usually wanted to just rest a while, not go out like any normal woman of her age. Looking at her now, behind the professional facade and political smiles, he could almost see the same silly, kind girl he'd met all those years ago. She'd been a bit hesitant to ask him out then, but had eventually summoned her courage to do so, and remained persistent until she got what passed for a yes.

A small smile crossed his face. "Yeah, that'd be nice," he said, thinking back to those days with surprising lightheartedness.

Relena returned the smile, then reached over to grab his hand and give it a strong squeeze. He squeezed back.

* * *

Once upon a time, a fresh-faced nineteen-year-old named Mian Rollis had been a soldier under OZ. He never got very far in the ranks; just another pilot in the special forces. He was partial to Aries suits, and from the time OZ separated itself from the Alliance until the end of the war, he'd piloted the same one in about a dozen battles, until he was finally forced to make an emergency ejection during the last months of the war. He managed to walk away in one piece, but the beloved Aries that had served him so well was destroyed.

Life goes on.

Mian returned to Earth and decided to attend the university, funded by one of Relena Dorlian's laws that provided scholarships to anyone who fought during the war, regardless of whose side they were one. He attended UC-Berkeley, where he studied software engineering and met the girl who would become his wife three years later.

Now a father of two, Mian was taking the family keeshond, Mitzi, for a walk around the Orange County neighborhood where the Rollises had settled down. The sun had just about set, but the community was gated. Mian wasn't one to worry about his safety, not anymore.

As he was turning back onto the street, a light streaked across the sky. _Shooting star, make a wish!_ he told himself wryly, then wished that his two-year-old would get over her ear infection.

But instead of burning up into the growing blackness, the light was drawing closer and closer. "What the fuck...?" he murmured. There was a sound like thunder, and the falling object smashed into an alleyway.

Suddenly, Mitzi began to bark and pull at the leash. Her ears pressed back against her skull, and she began to growl at the alley where the light had disappeared.

Mian tried to pull her back. "Shush girl, relax!" he ordered irritably. But the truth was, his own heart was beating as hard as the tugs on the leash. Something was back there, and he could feel a force-either in his mind or his heart-that called to him. Whatever it was back there, he _had_ to see it.

Like a man in a trance, Mian began to walk slowly towards the alley. His hand relaxed, and Mitzi finally pulled free, racing ahead of him to peer into the alley. But whatever she saw their instantly quieted her. Whimpering, she tucked her tail between her legs and backed away, hesitating a few moments before turning and taking off down the street in a full loping run. Mian barely noticed as he moved in front of the alley.

"Hello, Mian," a feminine voice remarked. The light in the alley was so blinding, he could barely see the speaker.

"Who's there?" he asked.

The light dimmed and approached. He could see now it was a glowing woman, her features indiscernible, her body clearly naked. The only dark spot was on her forehead, a V with slightly curled ends. The symbol for Aries.

Mian felt heat consume his body, and all of a sudden he was back on the battlefield, piloting his mobile suit and cutting down any his commanders told him were enemies. And all the while, he could see the glowing woman.

"I've come back to you, Mian. Now, give me your Star Seed, so that we may return to the battlefield together!" she cried, reaching out to him.

"No..." the man murmured, suddenly aware that it was already too late.

The woman's hand brushed his cheek, and his body instantly dissolved into glowing dust, leaving only a small jewel floating where his heart would have been. This the woman grasped, and pressed against the mark on her forehead. The jewel slipped through what passed for the skin of her forehead until it was entirely gone from view.

A change instantly overtook her. The glow faded instantly, giving her a much more solid, human appearance. Relatively human, at least. The fluffy blue-gray pigtails on either side of her head made her look like she belonged at a punk show, and her eyes were a brighter shade of blue a that seemed to glow in the dark of the alley. Her outfit looked like some sort of halloween costume: a steel blue crop-top with a silver-striped sailor's collar, navy bow and silver star-shaped brooch in the center of her chest, and sleeves consisting of three tiers of transparent silver material that looked like shoulder guards, a double layer of scandalously short steel blue and navy skirts belted by a navy sash tied in a bow on her back, navy ankle boots, and short blue gloves with silver bands that reached her wrist. The mark on her forehead was covered by a navy tiara with an aquamarine in the center, and her earlobes were adorned with matching gems.

The woman brushed herself off and assessed her new body, clearly finding it to her liking. Touching one of her earrings, she stepped out of the alley and began to walk down the street as though she had every reason for being there. Her earring began to glow, taking on the resemblance of a Bluetooth earpiece.

"This is Sailor Aries 0236, reporting for duty," she said to seemingly no one, but as soon as she did the muffled sounds of voices began to emit from the earring.

Taurus was quiet a moment. "Affirmative. I'll proceed to the rendezvous point. Expect me in approximately six hours."

The earring went dark, and she walked off into the night.

* * *

Relena's private jet landed at LAX around midnight. She'd slept most of the way, leaving Heero to stare out the window for entertainment. As they approached the city, it grew harder and harder to see the stars, but just as they were about to touch down, he saw a white like streaking across the sky towards the ocean.

"A shooting star..." he murmured, then looked over and began to shake Relena awake for the landing.

Captain Chang Wufei's life had not been easy as of late. If he wasn't dealing with workers protests or internal politics regarding Commander Une's forthcoming retirement, he was listening to other officers bitch about why he and Sally weren't using their connections with Relena Dorlian to get more funding for the department. Wufei actually saw no financial problems with the Preventers, at least nothing requiring immediate attention. Mostly it was just the people on the street beat whining about having to pay their own travel expenses.

So he wasn't really surprised with Commander Une called him into her office to discuss "things." While Wufei actually possessed a great deal of respect for his boss, and actually sympathized with her desire to leave the organization, he doubted she would have any new information to share with him. He was aware of all the Preventer problems going on, and he would have much preferred to spend time working on them rather than being lectured about him.

But as soon as he entered the office, he sensed that perhaps he was wrong. Lady Une was sitting at her desk, going over paperwork. When a lecture was imminent, she would always stand, usually near the window, and she would usually try to be standing by the time her victim entered, so that he or she would get the sense she had been waiting for them for some time. Although she wasn't as terrifying as she had been in her OZ days, Lady Une was still a very formidable person, and very few, Wufei among them, had the nerve to look her in the eye.

Things were different today. She looked old, much older than twenty-eight. Sitting at the desk was neither a ruthless colonel nor a hardcase government head. This was a woman who had fought to many battles and lost too many of them. Her attitude wasn't much better than Wufei's these days, but at least there was a light at the end of the tunnel for her. By the end of the year, she'd be a stay-at-home mom with a government pension, and if she decided to go back to work after Mariemaia graduated, she would find a job with much lower pressure. Maybe something in the Department of Agriculture.

At the moment though, there were more important matters at hand.

"What is it?" Wufei asked, sitting down across from her. He never bothered with proper protocol or etiquette, at least not in the privacy of an office. Add in the fact that he'd known Une longer than anyone else in the office, save Sally, Noin, and Zechs, and his lack of a "ma'am" or "Chief," and the offense was more forgivable.

Either way, his boss didn't seem to care. Without looking up, Lady Une grabbed a clipboard and slid it across to him. The man's black eyes scanned across the page, a list of photos and names, each accompanied by the word MISSING and a date.

"We don't handle missing persons cases unless it's a special situation," he answered, sliding it back. "This is something for the police."

Lady Une looked up and shook her head, recalling her own similar reaction to the file that had been handed to her by the chief of the Earth Sphere Investigation Bureau. "Read it again," she said. "Each and every one of those people was a soldier, either with OZ or the Alliance. Not just soldiers, but mobile suit pilots. There are even a few colony citizens with ties to mobile suits. Rebels, laborers..."

Wufei scanned the packet again. About sixty names total. "How far do these stretch back?" he asked, tearing his gaze away from the rather haunted looks in the eyes of the disappeared.

She gave him a grim smile and stood up. "Yesterday." Crossing the room, she went to a file cabinet and pulled out a folder, nearly two inches thick, then tossed it on the back. "Those are all of the others, the first ones starting about two months ago, all the way up until the fifteenth."

"Two days ago," he murmured, flipping through the folder. The pages were all the same as the ones on the clipboard. Page after page of faces, some as young as their late teens, others as old as fifty. "How many total?"

"About eight hundred, from all over the world and the colonies," she answered, her voice soft and sober. "And the phones have been off the hook today. So far, seventy one have been reported. And it's not even 1:00."

_Eight hundred ?_

Despite his earlier nonchalance, a hot rage crept through his heart down to his hands. "Why the fuck weren't we informed earlier?" Wufei hissed, standing up and pounding his fist against the desk. "Over eight hundred people, vanished into thin air? No bodies?"

She shook her head. While Lady Une had been just as upset after hearing the detailed stats on the cases, she still tended to keep her cool much better than her young colleague. "Nothing found so far. And we weren't informed at first because it's exactly like you said: the police handle missing persons cases. But a pattern's been emerging." Turning around, she pressed a button in the wall, making a projection screen descend from the ceiling. A map of the world appeared, with numbers and arrows flashing next to certain cities.

"The first disappearances were reported in Tokyo, London, Baghdad, Shanghai, and Chicago. Then other cities in those same countries, and finally to cities all over the world, as well as several rural areas. The colonial disappearances have been most recent, and only those at Lagrange Point 1 have made any reports."

His eyes watched the flashing lights, transfixed. "You think there'll be more disappearances in the colonies?"

Lady Une sighed. "I think that's pretty obvious. The disappearances have become more and more common, and there's no sign of letting up. We don't have a clue about what's causing any of it, or where these people went."

"I take it that's my job," Wufei remarked, turning around. "Where am I going?"

"Shanghai and the surrounding areas. I've given you a list of friends and relatives of the victims. I want detailed interviews regarding each case, and you're to talk with local police forces as well."

_Back to China then_, Wufei thought, recalling the river valley where he'd finally said goodbye to his beloved Nataku. "How many victims have been reported?"

"About fifty, but a lot of the families won't talk, or don't have anything to report. The typical story that's been coming in has been that the victim goes off by themselves somewhere, even if it's just in their backyard or down to the corner to get beer, and they never come back. No other trends," Lady Une explained.

She pulled a manila envelope out of a desk. "Even so, you've got to try to find something. So far the press hasn't made any links between the disappearances, but if they do, I have no doubt the people will panic. We can only thank God and Relena that the election is taking up so much of the public's attention."

Lady Une passed the envelope over to Wufei, who opened it to reveal a plane ticket and small dossier of his intended interviewees. "You're to fly to Shanghai tomorrow and commence the investigation. I want a full report in a week, but send periodic messages so we know you're safe."

He raised an eyebrow, then frowned. "Don't insult me. If anyone can look after themselves, it's me."

"Then don't let me down," she said, and dismissed him.

* * *

"Are you sure you don't want me to come with you?" Heero asked as he and Relena pulled up in front of the Royal Tower Hotel, which had been rented out as LA's headquarters for the campaign. The Foreign Minister herself had stayed near LAX and captured a few precious hours of sleep between their arrival and 6 AM, when Heero had knocked on the door connecting his room to hers. A quick shower, breakfast, and painstaking makeup application and dressing, and she was ready to spend the next several hours going over budgets, platforms, reports, and rather suddenly, the Earth Sphere Investigation Bureau.

It was this last item that prevented Heero from joining her. Although he was certainly free to accompany her throughout the campaign, the meeting with the ESIB was to be completely confidential, therefore barring the bodyguard from joining his charge. He'd offered to go inside with her anyway, but she had insisted he stay away.

A fight had almost broken out then, but Heero knew better than to do anything that would risk the campaign. He was just as hopeful as Relena's other supporters, and had realized a while ago that, as much as he might hate it, there were certain situations where he would be more harm than help to Relena's goals.

Right now, she seemed pretty confident about everything. Probably had to do with the solid six hours of sleep she'd gotten the night before, in addition to the four she'd gotten on the plane.

Smiling, she put a hand on his shoulder. "Look, why don't you take a little time off and enjoy yourself? Go down to the beach, take a walk, anything. It looks like it's going to be a nice day, you could use the fresh air."

The look on his face was skeptical, but before he could argue with her, Relena leaned over and kissed his cheek, the first time she'd done such a thing in ages. "Just go, okay?" she whispered in his ear. "I'll text you when I'm done with the men in black. I'll have you run out and get me lunch."

"You should look into getting an assistant," Heero grumbled, but there was a hint of a smile in his eyes. It was good to see Relena acting her age for once. Now if only he could follow her lead.

"All right, fine. But text me if you need anything. _Anything_," he said.

Relena nodded, then turned her head as three men in business suits and dark glasses approached her. ESIB, no dought. "Of course. I'll see you in a while."

Heero watched them move across the lobby of the hotel and step into an elevator. Just as the doors were about to close, Relena smiled and waved at him. He waved back, then turned and headed back out onto the street.

The hotel was only a few blocks from the beach, and he had to admit, Relena was right about needing a little fresh air. Her weather forecast, however, was way off. While the sun was still shining in the sky, he could see dark clouds far off over the pacific. A storm coming in most likely.

That probably explained why there were so few people on the beach. It was also early and a weekday, but Heero got the feeling that anyone hoping to come out and enjoy a lunch break by the ocean would be getting a little wet. Still, there were some die hard surfers farther down the way, as well as the occasional jogger here and there.

As he walked, his hand strayed to his cheek, recalling the kiss Relena had left there. How long had it been since she'd done something like that, and in public? How long since he'd kissed her at all? Too long, he decided. Tonight, maybe tonight they could talk about things. Try to work everything out.

Heero glanced back at the ocean, then blinked a little as he saw something white washing up on shore. At first it looked like an oversized plastic bag, or perhaps some sheets that someone had thrown off a dock somewhere. But on a closer glance, he realized with horror it was an old woman.

"Shit," he hissed, running down the concrete stairs from the sidewalk down to the sand. The woman was laying on her side, her back turned to him. She was completely naked, although sand was covering her abnormally pale skin. The wind caught several strands of long white hair and sent them flying every which way, but the body made no other move.

Heero knelt down beside her and very gingerly, only slightly aware of the fact that she was naked, rolled her onto her back. All at once, he realized this was no old woman at all. Yes, her hair was white, and her skin had an abnormal ivory pallor that made him think she was an albino, but her body looked strong and wrinkle free, and her face was that of a young woman, perhaps one younger even than him.

His eyes swept over her, not with lust, but curiosity. There was no mark on her, save for a tattoo in the middle of her chest. It was just a simple circle about the size of a half-dollar, with a line down the middle and several branching off to make it look like a very short, very fat feather. Gingerly, he ran his finger over the mark, wondering what it was supposed to mean.

Suddenly, the body in his arms shuddered. The girl's lips parted in a gasp, and her eyes flew open. They weren't red like an albino's, but just as pale as the rest of her, a very light shade of gray that gave no hint of any hue.

_She's alive_, Heero thought in amazement, relaxing his grip on her slightly as she began to cough up sea water.

"Hold on," he said, laying her back down and grabbing his cell phone. "I'm going to call an ambulance."

The girl turned her face back to him, her pale eyes searching for something in his face.

Then, a choked whisper from between her lips. "Heero..."

He nearly dropped the phone, and his eyes widened. "What?" he whispered. "What did you say?"

She was silent, and quickly his brain began to rationalize things. He knew this girl, he must. But why wouldn't a nearly-albino young woman in California register in his memory? Why weren't any names coming to the forefront of his mind? Then he realized, she must not have said "Heero." Maybe she was saying "hero," calling him her hero, thanking her for saving him.

"It's okay," he repeated, dialing 911. "You're going to go to a hospital. They'll take care of you there."

Her eyes were drifting shut again, and he could see her body going limp. Shit...

"911, what is your emergency?" a pleasant-voiced woman on the phone remarked as Heero reached over to check the girl's pulse.

"Hello, I'm at Venice Beach, and there's a girl here who washed up on the shore. I think she might be in shock-"

Suddenly the phone beeped. Low battery.

"Okay sir, just stay on the line with me for a moment, emergency response is on its way," the woman replied. "Can you give me your name?"

"My battery's going to die, I can't stay. My name is-"

"Heero Yuy."

The phone powered down just as the girl spoke. Her eyes were still closed, but her hands were clenching and she was breathing. Below the surface of her skin, as though she were translucent, Heero could see a pale glow beginning to shine throughout her body.

Dropping his phone, he removed his coat and wrapped it around her. He expected her to feel colder to the touch than she did, but there was a surprising warmth to her. Her heart was fluttering like a trapped bird in her chest, and her breathing was getting faster.

"Who are you?" he asked, almost afraid to hear the answer. He could hear the sirens approaching now, and he knew he should try to flag them down. But somehow, he'd lost the ability to move.

"Yours," the girl whispered. "Only yours."

* * *

After treating her for shock, the ambulance took her to New Edwards Hospital. The EMTs wouldn't let Heero ride with her, but they did lend him a phone so he could call a cab to follow. By the time he reached the hospital, she'd already been checked in as a Jane Doe and was undergoing a series of tests. The nurse at the front desk said she'd likely be kept overnight for observation, but otherwise she was doing well.

Unfortunately, visiting her seemed out of the question.

"Sir, until we can confirm there are no additional health problems, we cannot allow visitation. If you were a relative, perhaps an exception could be made, but since the doctors have no idea who she is or what her medical history might be, we can't take any chances," the nurse explained.

Heero tried to think rationally, but he was still shaken by the words the girl had said to him on the beach. "Has she told anyone her name yet?"

The nurse shook her head. "No sir. According to her charts, she won't speak to anyone. She's cooperative enough, but she won't talk."

"She talked to me," he said.

"Look sir, if you like, you can sit in the waiting room and someone will come get you when she can see you. But in the mean time, I'm afraid there's nothing I can do," she huffed.

"Then I'll wait," Heero said finally, turning his back on the woman. How ironic to be in a hospital that wouldn't have existed if his quick thinking eight years ago hadn't kept the place from going nuclear, and to have to deal with health care bureaucracy because of it.

Sitting down in a chair, he glanced up at the clock. Nearly 12:30. Relena would be eating lunch right about now. No doubt there would be plenty of texts waiting for him when he finally got his phone charged, but there was nothing he could do at the moment. He had to admit, he felt a bit guilty for abandoning Relena, but he knew she would be in safe hands, for the most part, and she'd probably be so busy he wouldn't be missed until that evening. And if all went well here, he'd have no trouble meeting her for dinner.

But why not leave right now? The girl's condition was stable, and the hospital would see she walked out safe. There was even a bill that had passed, with Relena's help, that would cover her medical costs, as long as no identity could be proven for her. So why not cut his ties and go home right now?

Because she knew his name, and she claimed to be _his_, whatever that meant. Heero knew he'd never seen her before in his life. Her looks weren't exactly forgettable, and he was sure he could picture her accurately in his mind even after have only seen her for about five minutes.

No, she wasn't someone he could just walk away from, that was for sure.

So he waited. The clock on the wall rolled lazily past one and two, and just as it was approaching three, the nurse from the desk came over and tapped him on the shoulder.

"You can see her now, if you like. The test results are all back. She's in perfect health, if a bit tired and dehydrated," she said.

Rising to his feet, Heero followed her down the hall, feeling as though he were about to meet his ghost.

* * *

There was a hangar in the New Edwards base that had once been used to house mobile suits, but ever since the end of the war it had been converted into a simple storage facility, mostly housing old office furniture, computers, and a couple of vehicles destined for government auction. But near the rear of the buildings, in an empty space where a Tragos had been stored prior to being scrapped for parts last month, thirteen young women were gathered in a circle.

Each and every one of them was identical, dressed in blue uniforms with pale blue pigtails. Only one of them, with a silver tiara on her forehead and bracelet on her wrist, was different. She was seated on a crate above the others, who were talking quietly with each other while their apparent leader seemed to be listening to something.

Suddenly she stood up. "Attention, all of you!"

Instantly, the girls stopped, then like robots turned to face her and saluted.

"We commence operations in fifteen minutes. Take your positions, now!" the leader ordered, pointing towards the door to the hangar. Her eyes narrowed slightly, then sparkled as a rather vicious smile crossed her face.

"And remember: No prisoners, no retreat."

"Yes ma'am!" the group answered in unison, then began to filter out of the door.

* * *

She was awake when Heero entered the hospital room. Wearing a green paper gown, her eyes were focused on the skies outside, which had darkened severely, threatening rain at any moment. But when she heard the door shut behind her visitor, she turned her attention to him.

He didn't say anything at first, wondering what it was he should say. Whatever she might have claimed on the beach, she was a stranger to him, and he never had been one to deal well with strangers.

Several moments passed, and it seemed like neither of them were going to speak. Finally, Heero took one of the chairs from the table across the room, then pulled it over to her bedside and sat down. "So. You look like you're feeling better," he commented, glancing at the chart at the foot of her bed as though it meant something to him.

"I do, thank you," she said.

He turned his gaze back to her in surprise. "So you can talk. The doctors said you wouldn't speak to them."

The girl shrugged, a gesture that seemed to humanize her a great deal more. She was still odd-looking, being so pale and with such white hair, but the ghostliness of her seemed to be waning.

"I had nothing to say," she commented. "'Thank you,' I suppose, but they didn't really do anything."

They were quiet again for a few moments before Heero spoke again. "Who are you?" he asked, his eyes locking with hers. There seemed to be the slightest hint of blue in them now, so slight that it was almost unnoticeable from any greater distance than this.

She hesitated. "Yuuto. Yuuto Sora."

He raised an eyebrow. "You don't look like a Yuuto. You don't look Japanese either."

Yuuto only shrugged again. "I can't help the way I look."

Time to change the subject. "Where did you come from?" Heero asked. "Where's your family?"

"I don't have a family," she answered shortly. As to where she came from, she was mute on that subject, and her eyes told him not to ask again.

"But you know me."

Her breath hitched ever so slightly, and her eyes widened, as though she were both embarrassed and excited by this fact. "Yes."

His heart was beating faster as well, and that slight fear had come back. "How?"

Yuuto turned and stared out the window again, saying nothing.

Reaching over, Heero gently touched her white cheek, noting how smooth her skin was. Her complexion was almost literally like that of porcelain; colorless and flawless. "Yuuto, how do you know me? I have no idea who you are. Did we meet before?"

Suddenly, a cold, almost cruel expression crossed her face, and her eyes seemed bluer than ever. "That information is classified." All of the emotion had gone from her voice, that gentle bemusement replaced by an almost robotic drone. She jerked her head out of his grasp, then continued to stare out the window.

"Do you hear that?" Her voice was much softer now, the tone that he knew was normal for her.

For a moment, he though she was just trying to change the subject, but after a few seconds he heard it. A buzzing sound, then shattering glass, then screaming.

"What the hell?"

Something exploded down the hallway, and the screams suddenly grew louder. The nurse from the front desk suddenly burst into the room.

"Run!" she screamed. "There's an attack! You have to get-"

A burst of gunfire suddenly erupted outside the doorway, and half of the nurse's face disappeared.

Even though it had been eight years since Heero had had a real fight, his instincts were sharp as ever. Unfortunately, he'd been forced to check his gun when he'd entered the base, which meant the only weapons he had at his disposal would be the chairs, or possibly the floor lamp in the corner. And judging by the sounds of the gunfire, neither one would be very effective.

_What the hell, attacking a hospital with machine guns? _Heero wondered as he grabbed Yuuto rather roughly around the middle, yanked her out of the bed, then pulled her behind the folded curtain dividing the room. He prepared himself to cover her mouth in case of a scream, but she didn't make a sound, other than the beating of her heart beneath his hand.

There was an additional warmth there as well, but no time to dwell on it, as the attacker made her way down the hall. The "her" was undeniable; above the sound of the gunfire was a shrieking laughter, the sound of a teenage girl who's just heard a ridiculously funny joke. Or perhaps played one.

When the sound began to die down, he relaxed a little bit. "We have to get out of here," he murmured, releasing the young woman and stepping away from her. "Can you walk?"

"We're going to want to run," she said, striding past him and peering out into the hallway. The sight made her gasp. Bodies of patients and staff littered the corridor, and the smell of blood was thick in the air. Yuuto could feel her stomach churning at the scent of it, but she steeled herself.

"Do you know the way out of here?" she asked, looking back at Heero. "I didn't keep a close watch when I came."

He moved past her, taking in the carnage with more control, but no less disgust and horror. "Follow me. Stay close," he ordered.

Yuuto nodded obediently, then fell in behind him, not minding the fact that she was still wearing only a hospital gown and moving barefoot. Heero glanced back at her, and decided as soon as they got out of the building, they'd have to get her shoes before they moved any farther. Eventually, he hoped to get to the guard house where his gun was, but it was on the far side of the base and with broken glass everywhere, the pale girl wouldn't likely get far without cutting herself.

They avoided the fire escapes not just because the number of panicked people in them would likely cause a stampede, but because such crowded areas would likely be prime targets for the attackers.

Instead, they moved down the hall to a staff elevator. It would be inaccessible without the proper badge, but after asking Yuuto to keep lookout, Heero pulled out his wallet and withdrew a plain white card with a magnetic strip on one side. Inserting it into the slot, the lights over it flashed red several times, then switched to solid green. Moments later, there was a ding as the door opened.

The car was empty as the pair slipped inside, and likely would remain so. The hospital staff at this base were well-trained; they would know to stay away from the elevators in an emergency. And regular patients wouldn't have access. So they moved slowly and uneventfully to the first floor, the sounds of chaos growing louder with each descending floor.

When the doors finally opened in the lobby, Heero and Yuuto were greeted by the sight of three identical young blue-haired women, all in matching blue and gray uniforms, wielding what appeared to be smaller versions of the sort of chain rifle usually seen on mobile suits. All three had their backs to the elevator, assuming no one would be using it. But when the doors dinged open, they turned their attention from the fleeing visitors and patients to quickly cover their weak side.

However, when they saw there were only two present, they seemed to relax.

"Looks like you missed one," the middle girl said to the one on the right.

She laughed. "My bad," she remarked, raising up her gun.

Heero grunted and instinctively moved himself in front of Yuuto. "Who the hell are you people? What do you want?"

This question seemed to take the three aback. They looked at each other, then smiled.

"I'm Sailor Aries 0228," the middle one remarked.

"Sailor Aries 0231," said the one on the right.

"Sailor Aries 0225," finished the left one. "And we fight for the colonies!"

Yuuto pulled sharply on Heero's arm, jerking him out of the line of fire as a hail of bullets came for him. Racing around the corner, they moved deeper into the hospital instead of towards the door. From the sounds behind them, only one of the Sailor Arieses was following, but the flying plaster and floor tiles around them proved that she was still close enough.

The kitchen was at the end of the hall, and they ducked inside, making a beeline for the freezer. Inside, they found two more bodies of a pair of orderlies, but no other fugitives. Heero barred the door with several industrial-sized food containers, then tried to think of their next move. He could hear footsteps outside, the sound of someone investigating, looking to startle their prey."

"Heero," Yuuto whispered, moving in front of him. "Listen to me: I can stop this. But I need your help."

"How are you going to stop them? You have no weapons," he asked, looking her over again. Not exactly the most threatening person, Miss Yuuto Sora.

"You have to trust me," she said. "I need to borrow your Star Seed."

"My what?"

Suddenly there was a bang on the door, and the look on Yuuto's face grew more frantic. "There's no time, Heero! Please, you have to trust me! Remember Operation Meteor! Remember the little girl, and her dog! We can stop this Heero, but if you don't help me, it'll start all over again!"

He froze. "Who are you?" he whispered again.

Yuuto held out a hand to him. "Trust me," she said. "Let me save them."

With only a moment's hesitation, he took her hand, and suddenly there was an explosion of light and a sense of pulling in his chest. Her body began to lift upwards and glow white, and from between her shoulder blades, a pair of huge white feathered wings emerged. Her hand broke free of his grip and the wings covered her entire body, folding her into a shell. Then, just as suddenly as they appeared, the wings dissolved into a flurry of feathers.

The woman standing in front of Heero was dressed remarkably similar to the girls outside, but she was still very clearly Yuuto. Instead of having a top and a skirt, her outfit was all one piece, consisting of a white leotard with short petal sleeves, a blue collar, and a double layer of blue and red skirts. The choker around her neck was also blue, but the gloves on her hands were white with yellow bands. On her feet she wore a pair of red knee-high boots with a V top and yellow trim and on her forehead was a gold tiara with a sapphire in the middle. There was a red bow on her back, but over her chest was a yellow bow, and a sparkling white crystal.

A Star Seed. _His_ Star Seed.

Yuuto gave him a small smile when she saw his recognition. "I'll take care of it," she remarked. "I promise."

Holding out her left hand, there was another soft glow, and a gun appeared. Not just any gun, but a perfectly replicated miniature version of the buster rifle Heero himself had first used while piloting the Wing Gundam.

Just then, there was a crash as the door to the freezer burst open, and the pursuing Aries stepped forward.

"Found you," she remarked, grinning at Heero before glancing back at Yuuto. She frowned. "And who the hell are you supposed to be?"

Yuuto raised the rifle, and a ball of energy began to gather near the barrel.

"My name is Sailor Wing, and I'm the last thing you'll ever see."


	2. Episode 2:  Sailor Deathscythe

**Sailor Deathscythe**

"Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares."

-Hebrews, 13:2

* * *

"My name is Sailor Wing, and I'm the last thing you'll ever see."

As soon as the words left Yuuto's mouth, the beam of energy gathering in her gun's barrel shot forth, hitting the Aries directly in the jewel of her tiara.

At that very moment, Heero felt an excruciating pain deep in his chest, as though a clawed hand had taken his heart and squeezed.

Yuuto glanced back at him. "Focus, Heero! Make it stronger!"

He wasn't sure how exactly he was supposed to do that, but he was able to force himself to ignore the pain and keep watching the light. As he did, the beam spread and bathed the blue-haired girl's body in yellow light, and she let out a blood-curdling scream as her body was torn to pieces.

The bits of flesh and bone lasted a few moments on the floor, then vanished, leaving only a crystal, similar to the one on Yuuto's chest, floating about three feet above the floor. Unlike Yuuto's, the glow within the gem was much paler, and dark green in color rather than white.

It hovered there for a few moments, then rose up towards the ceiling and vanished.

Yuuto visibly relaxed. "It's going home," she murmured, then lowered her gun turned back to the blue-eyed man behind her. "Are you all right?"

Heero was still breathing hard. As soon as the blast of energy had dissipated, the pain vanished almost immediately, but had taken a toll on his body. Glancing up at the girl, he managed a nod. "Yeah, I'm fine. But what the hell was that?"

The look on her face was apologetic. "I have to use your Star Seed for power. I know I should have warned you, but there wasn't really time." Yuuto shifted the rifle over her shoulder. "When I fight, I need you to will energy to me. If you don't, it will still be drained, but only with a great deal more pain."

His gaze hardened slightly. He hadn't been completely sure what she was asking when she requested his help. He still had no clue what a Star Seed was, or what they had just killed, and with every passing moment there were fewer reasons to trust the girl in front of him. Despite all of that, she'd still saved him, and until he got his gun back, she appeared to be the only one capable of killing the Arieses.

"So what now?" he asked, his breath coming back to him.

Yuuto turned away and began to walk towards the door to the main hallway. "We have to stop them before any law enforcement or militia does. If you hit them any place besides their Seed Mark, you'll end up killing the host."

"What host?" Heero asked. "When you shot her, she disappeared."

"She did, yes. But that Star Seed belonged to a human. It'll go back to its home, then its owner will regenerate with no memories anything that happened while the Senshi had it. If we destroy her body though, the Star Seed will be destroyed as well, and the person it belonged to will never come back," she explained.

Heero paused a moment as they reached the door. Senshi. So that's what the clones were, although the word didn't exactly provide much help other than a name.

"And what happens if someone hits _my_ Star Seed?" he asked, catching a glimpse of it in the very vulnerable center of her chest.

"Then we both die." She stopped and looked back at him. "But I promise you, Heero, I will never let anyone harm you. Either one of us can break the bond at any moment. Your Star Seed will return to you, and I'll go back to my normal form."

Very carefully, she pushed open the door and looked around. The hall was empty, but she could hear the sounds of fighting from outside. Sirens as well.

Yuuto cursed silently before looking back at her companion. "Heero, can you get a weapon from somewhere?"

"This is a military base," he said flatly. "There's bound to be something. At the very least, my gun is in the guardhouse near the gates."

"We'll have to go there then," Yuuto answered. "Do you know the way?"

It was odd how the pale girl seemed to know everything about the enemies they were fighting, but was completely clueless when it came to her surroundings. Granted, she had arrived in an ambulance and been stuck in tests all afternoon, but one would think she would have made at least a few observations.

Still, she was the one who had a weapon at that point, so there was no use arguing. Heero nodded, then stepped in front of her. "Yeah, I can get there. Cover me?" he asked, already knowing she would.

"Of course," she said, and it almost seemed like she might smile. Her face remained straight, however, as they moved quickly and carefully down the hall back towards the lobby.

The two Senshi who'd been there (along with their departed comrade) appeared to have moved on. They'd left a pile of bodies behind them that made Yuuto's stomach turn and fanned Heero's silent rage. The gem on the girl's chest began to glow brighter with the energy he fed her, and they ventured outside.

Several yards ahead of them, four Aries clones were locked in combat with the base's combat units (which appeared to be about two dozen men) along with several police officers. All of them were well armed and armored, but they were still being cut down, if slower than the civilians in the hospital.

Yuuto looked over at Heero. "Should we engage them now, or get your weapon first?"

He thought a moment. "Let me get the gun first. If they see us, then we can attack. But better we trust the guards to hold them off for a few more minutes then die alongside them." A harsh judgment, but a true one.

Yuuto accepted this, and followed him as they edged along the building towards the gates. Five more Senshi were attacking the fleeing crowds, and she felt inclined to jump in and help, but she knew she'd be able to handle them better with Heero.

Then, just as they were within fifty feet of the guardhouse, a bullet whizzed past her ear.

"Look! Another one!" one of the soldiers yelled.

Well this was a situation they hadn't expected. Although Yuuto's uniform was similar to that of the Arieses, it was still distinct, as was her weapon. Regardless of that fact, another unit of soldier was approaching, their weapons focused on her.

"Heero, run!" she yelled, then began running towards them.

"What are you-" he started to call back, then stopped as she leapt clean over the heads of the approaching soldiers and pulled her gun. It glowed a moment and seemed to shift, then illuminated into a green beam saber. She continued to soar through the air for several seconds, before coming down and delivering a sharp kick to the shoulder of one of the engaged Aries. With only a grunt of effort, she knock the girl's gun aside then jammed the energy blade into her tiara. As with the Aries inside, she burst apart, then vanished, leaving only a Star Seed behind before that too flew off to somewhere.

The sight startled both the humans and the Senshi present.

"She killed it..." a police officer murmured.

The Aries nearest to Yuuto snarled. "You bitch!" she shrieked, turning her chain gun on her and sending another rain of bullets towards the pale girl. But Yuuto easily avoided the stream, jumping upwards and making another flying leap towards her enemy.

Meanwhile, Heero realized there was nothing more he could do for his comrade until he was armed himself. Turning around, he broke into a full run towards the guard house.

When he got there, he saw the door was open and the tiny office within in shambles, with one of the guards slumped over dead in the corner. But beneath the blood-spattered papers and shattered glass, he found the desk drawer where the guard had deposited his weapon. As an additional bout of luck (probably the only one that he'd come across so far, besides Yuuto apparently having super powers), the drawer was unlocked, and his gun was still loaded. Not only that, but after a quick search, Heero found that the dead guard still had a loaded sidearm on him. Holstering this and pulling the hammer back on his own gun, he stepped back outside to join the fray.

He didn't have to go far. One of the Senshi that had been terrorizing the civilians at the gate happened at that moment to turn and look at him, giving him a wicked smile before turning fully to fire at him.

Had he not been the man he was, he might have died right then. But Heero Yuy was the perfect soldier, his reflexes sharpened to almost intuition, and he pulled the trigger as soon as he made eye contact. His marksmanship hadn't faltered over the years either; the bullet shattered the jewel in her tiara, and she died like the others.

The others were on him quickly enough though, and he darted behind the guard house for shelter. Heart pounding, he waited for them to come. He was more tired than he should have been he knew, but he was still feeding Yuuto power. That was good, he supposed. It meant she wasn't dead yet.

Glancing around the corner, he looked to see if the Senshi were even bothering to come for him, or if they'd decided to stick with the easier prey instead. As it turned out, neither. The four that had remained were gone.

Then he felt a wind on his neck, something that had no rights to be there. Whirling around, he looked up to see all four of his enemies levitating in the sky with matching smirks on their face.

"See what happens when you resist the might of the colonies?" one remarked, then looked at her comrades. "FI-"

"Heero!" Yuuto's voice came from above as well. He looked to the roof of the guard house, where she again had the beam rifle, ready to fire. Knowing what was about to come, Heero braced himself, willing her all the energy he could, and this time instead of a searing pain all he felt was a sharp tug.

However, her aim wasn't as careful this time. Instead of focusing on the tiara of one of the Senshi, the rifle fired a beam wide enough to wipe out all four of them. The bodies were completely vaporized, and this time, there were no Star Seeds.

Yuuto leapt off the building and landed beside him. "Are you all right?"

He stared up at the air where the four had been. "You killed them."

"I had to," she said. "They would have killed you."

"We still will."

The pair looked towards the gates, now deserted except for three more Arieses. But one of them seemed different from all the others. The tiara on her head was silver, and around her left wrist there was a matching cuff. Of the three, she was the only one not to carry a gun. In fact, she wasn't armed at all.

"So," she remarked, stepping ahead of the other two. "You're the one who's here to stop us. Sailor Wing, isn't it? Funny. You know, I thought they made you up."

"Who did?" Yuuto asked, switching the rifle back to a saber. "Who are you, and who are you talking about?"

"My name is Sailor Aries. Sailor Aries 01. And you'll find I'm not quite as easy to kill as the others," she remarked, rising into the air. "0235, 0236, take care of that idiot human with her. This Senshi is mine."

Heero glanced at Yuuto. So, she was a Senshi, just like them. He'd suspected such a thing. Not much time to dwell on this though, as the two with 01 were flying towards him, guns raised.

Yuuto moved to protect him, but a thunder of gunfire overhead forced her to jump out of the way.

"Don't worry about him," 01 yelled. "Worry about yourself, you meddling bitch!"

Yuuto set her jaw, then rose upwards, sword at the ready and easily dodging her opponent's fire. As soon as she was in range, she pulled back to stab her through the forehead, only for 01 to suddenly dodge and deliver a sharp blow to the side of Yuuto's head that sent her reeling.

"So, you can fly. And you're pretty fast too, but not fast enough I'm afraid," 01 commented, rushing towards her and kicking her sharply in the stomach.

On the ground, Heero had managed to evade the fire of his two attackers, but it was difficult to focus on Yuuto and dodge at the same time. When he paused to glance up at her and saw the beating 01 was dealing, he realized he needed to end things, and fast. Whatever firepower Yuuto might have, she couldn't access it without him.

He took a deep breath, then in a perfectly copied move leapt the solid ten feet to the roof of the guard house. Hearing shots coming for him, he twisted slightly as he landed, causing him to lose footing and slip towards. Dropping the gun in his hand, he caught himself, but not in time to recover the weapon before it slipped to the ground.

The two Arieses grinned. The left one moved towards him. "That, I believe-"

"-was a fail," the other finished.

"Oh shut up," Heero said, reaching into his jacket to grab the dead guard's side arm. In two perfect shots, he hit both of them in the forehead.

As soon as they disappeared, he looked up to Yuuto. "Finish her!" he yelled, trying to send her the last bolts of energy still in his body.

Feeling suddenly stronger, Yuuto looked to 01 with clearer vision, then waited for her to approach before suddenly dropping beneath her.

01, confused at her opponent's sudden disappearance, stopped and looked around. "What the-"

In an instant, Yuuto arm was around her neck, and the sword-bearing hand quickly jammed the weapon into 01's forehead. The blue-haired girl screamed in pain, and Yuuto let her drop. She fell several feet to the ground, then lay still.

Yuuto flew to Heero's side, glad to see he was still standing. Neither of them were quite relaxed, however, as 01's body hadn't yet disappeared.

Heero shot a look to the woman at his side. "Did you miss?" he asked.

"I didn't," she replied without the slightest tone of offense in her voice. "Look, her tiara's shattered."

But there was no wound beneath. No mark either.

01's pale blue eyes fluttered open, and she slowly staggered to her feet. A sick grin crossed her face, and she coughed out of a few mouthfuls of blood.

"Stupid bitch," she hissed, letting out bursts of air that might have been laughter. "I told you I wouldn't be as easy. I-"

She stopped. "What?" she said. "Please, I've got them almost...I can do it! I swear!"

Yuuto looked at Heero. "Who is she talking to?" she asked.

"I don't know," he said. "I thought you were the expert."

01 growled. "Fine, I understand. Returning now." She fixed her gaze on Yuuto. "This isn't over yet. I'll see you later, Sailor Wing."

She rose up into the sky, flying high and fast until she had vanished from sight all together.

Now Yuuto's body finally relaxed. She put a hand on Heero's shoulder, and he felt a rush of energy returning to him. There was a soft glow, and suddenly she was wearing the hospital gown again, and nothing else.

"You sure they're gone?" he said, eyes still focused on the sky where 01 had disappeared.

She nodded. "Yeah, they're gone. Regrouping probably."

He looked back at her. "Regrouping?" She nodded. "So there's more."

"Yes," Yuuto said, moving to the edge of the building and jumping down. Her landing was sloppy; she nearly fell down flat. Clearly, much of her prowess was lost in this form. But she could still stand and didn't seem hurt as Heero joined her.

She glanced back at the hospital. "This was the first attack. But it's definitely not the last," she murmured.

Heero took her hand and began pulling her towards the gate. "Come on," he said. "We should go."

* * *

About fifty miles off the coast of Hawaii, the _Mary Helen_ was bobbing lazily on the now-calm ocean. Things had been a bit rough that morning, when a heavy storm chopped up the sea and kept the crew of the salvage vessel cabin-bound. But the bad weather had cleared out, and now two men were sitting on the shady deck drinking beer and playing chess in the warm weather.

"Checkmate," the older one said. He was a man well into his seventies, completely bald and dressed in a Hawaiian shirt. Dark glasses covered his eyes, and there was a pointed beard at the end of his chin.

The younger man stood up and stared at the board. "What? Where?" he cried. Against anyone's better reason, he was dressed in all black, and wore his hair in a long braid that hung down to his hips like a rope.

The old man pointed out the spot on the board, and the young man pouted. "I hate this game," he said, finishing his beer before crunching the can and throwing it over his shoulder. It soared over the rail and plunked into the water off the port side of the ship.

"You shouldn't litter," the old man said, clearing off the pieces from the chess board. "It's not the ocean's fault you lost."

"There's a bunch of trash in the ocean anyways," the other one said, standing up and walking to the side of the ship. "Too bad none of it's worthy anything." He sighed as he leaned over the rail. "Man, how the hell am I going to pay the rent now? Two weeks we've been out here, and nothing. Howard, I thought you said a bunch of mobile suits went down around here during the war," he said, looking back at the old man.

Howard drank his beer with the serenity of the elderly. "I thought it was around here. That was about five years ago though. It's possible someone else might have come and gotten them already."

"Five...years...ago?" the braided man repeated, then hung his head. "That's it, I'm screwed."

His friend came over and put a hand on his shoulder. "You know, Duo, this all happened because you spent all that money on that girl. What was her name again? Sarah, Sasha..."

"Her name is See-You-In-Hell-You-Gold-Digging-Bitch," Duo grumbled.

It was true though, and not a unique story. Ever since he'd ended things with Hilde when he was eighteen (he just wasn't ready to settle down and get married, and she was anxious to become a wife and mother), he'd become a serial dater relying on his charm and good looks to get women, then resorting to money to keep them around. It would have been fine if he was a millionaire playboy, but he was just a junk man, salvaging and selling off anything he could find in order to pay the bills and buy dinner for whatever girl was hanging around at that particular time. He didn't like it, of course, but it was better than being alone.

The way things were going, however, it looked like he was going to end up alone and living on the streets. This trip had been his last hope. He'd even talked Howard out of his retirement on the moon in order to use his ship and his knowledge of where the best treasure troves were. Unfortunately, it sounded like a lot of the old man's info was out-of-date, leaving Duo up the Amazon on a rubber ducky.

His indigo eyes stared out at the ocean. At least out here it was possible to forget his money troubles. Maybe if he could get the miracle he needed, he'd give up on women and start saving up to buy a boat like this, live on the sea, maybe become a pirate if things got bad.

He smiled slightly to himself. Yeah, it would be pretty sweet to be a pirate.

A glimmer in the sky caught his attention then, and he squinted, trying to get a better look. It appeared to be a shooting star, but he'd never heard of one being visible in the daytime. But sure enough, a quarter mile out from the boat, he saw a splash of water rising up. Whatever it was that had fallen, it had landed, and close.

Suddenly, he had his miracle. Even the most commonplace space rock had collector's value for geology nerds, and if he was lucky it wouldn't be just any rock, but some kind of ore that could prove valuable on the metal market.

"Hey, hey Howard! Get the boat heading over that way, I saw something land!"

The old man looked over his shoulder, then waved to the pilot up in the bridge. "You heard the man!" he called.

As the ship began to turn, Duo ran down to his cabin, where he opened the laptop on his bed and quickly logged into the ship's scanning system. Whatever it was that had fallen, it was relatively big, and seemed to be floating. Disappointment ran through him. Not many valuable things floated. But then again, what could be dense enough to survive atmospheric entry but still be light enough to float?

"Duo!" one of the crew yelled down the corridor to him. "Get up here, you have to see this!"

Well, it looked like he was about to find out. Shutting the computer, he darted back up the stairs and to the rail.

"Help! Someone help me!" a feminine voice called.

"Holy shit, it's a girl!" Duo gasped.

She was a thin thing with short black hair in a bob plastered against her rosy skin, and she was thrashing frantically in the water. Clearly she wasn't much of a swimmer, which would raise questions about how she'd ended up in the middle of the ocean, but questions like that weren't important at the moment. What was important was that she wouldn't last long, flailing around like that.

"Hold on!" Duo yelled, taking off his shoes and socks before climbing over the rail and leaping down to join her. The waves were working in his favor, pushing his body towards hers, and in only a little over a minute he had his arms around her.

"Grab on," he said, guiding her arms around his neck. She clung tightly to him, and it was at that moment he realized she was completely naked. He caught sight of the tops of her breasts, as well as the tattoo just below her collarbone: a crude skull drawn in circles and lines all within a larger circle. Despite the chill of the water, his body was suddenly flushed with heat, but he tried to ignore it as he treaded water and looked back towards the ship.

"What the hell are you guys waiting for? Throw me a rope! We're not taking an afternoon swim here!" he yelled.

The shocked crew, Howard included, suddenly moved. Someone threw a life preserver with a line attached into the water, and Duo looked at the girl holding onto him. "I gotta swim over there, okay? You keep holding on tight, you're doing great," he smiled, hoping to relax her. It was then that she noticed her eyes were only a few shades lighter than his, a very pretty shade of amethyst.

She nodded, clearly still shaken. "Okay," she said, nearly cutting off his air.

Duo took a few gasps. "Not that tight," he said, and she smiled a little.

"Sorry," she said nervously, loosening her grip.

"It's okay, baby," he replied. "Here we go."

He wouldn't be getting any gold medals for his side stroke, but he managed to get them both over to the red and white foam right with no trouble. Duo tried to get the girl to hold into it instead of him, but she refused to let go of his neck. So he put his free arm through the hole and pulled it tight to him before the crew began to reel them back in.

It was only when they were both safe on deck that the rescued girl released her grip on her savior, and allowed one of the other crew members, a young woman, to wrap her in a thick towel. Duo, however, only got a smaller one thrown at him, while the others all crowded around the girl. It was at that point Duo realized how short she was, probably no more than five feet, even though she was clearly an adult.

"Are you okay?" Howard asked as the girl pulled the towel around her. He didn't wait for her answer, but looked to the lady crew member beside her. "Lisa, go get her some clothes."

"Okay," she said, disappearing down below deck.

"I'm fine," the girl answered, smiling slightly and looking past the crew to the braided man. "Thanks to Duo."

He blinked in surprise, and pause in the middle of wringing out his hair. "You know my name?" he asked.

Her smile grew until it was an all-out grin. "Of course I do. And mine's Rina Valdis. It's very nice to meet you."

* * *

Heero paid the cab driver up front in cash, so he didn't ask questions about why one of the hospital patients, still in a gown, was suddenly fleeing the erupting media circus that was the New Edwards base. He seemed a lot more relaxed, however after the pair of passengers had stopped at a department store to get a pair of jeans, shoes, socks, and a black t-shirt and hoodie for the young woman.

Fully dressed and feeling less vulnerable than she had, Yuuto looked over at Heero. "Where are we going?" she asked.

"I have to meet someone," he answered.

And he doubted that someone would be happy about the fact that it was pushing six o'clock and he hadn't contacted her once. By now she would probably have heard about the attack on New Edwards, and if he knew Relena, she would be preparing to make a statement while her advisors begged and pleaded her to stay at the hotel, where she would be safe. But depending on whether she valued Heero's safety or her own image more, she would wait there for his return until she knew he was safe.

After that? He was hesitant to accompany her back to the base. There was too great of a chance that his face would be remembered. True, many of the people who'd seen him were dead now, but he didn't want to risk being spotted and associated with "the mysterious Sailor Wing."

That was another issue. Now that he'd gotten her out of the hospital, what exactly was he supposed to do with Yuuto? Turn her loose, wish her luck with the whole saving-the-world thing? Ha. She'd never make it. As Sailor Wing, she was a formidable foe, but as Yuuto she stared out the window like a child in awe of the big city. She'd been confused about the clothes she was supposed to wear, having been browsing rather distastefully through the children's section, although after being pointed in the right direction her choices were much more appropriate. She seemed to be a fast learner, but Heero still sensed she was starting with a blank slate.

Again, he found himself wondering exactly what she was. A Senshi, whatever that meant. He doubted she was human. Maybe some sort of alien? It would explain the powers and her knowledge of the enemy Senshi, if one assumed they were a rival civilization.

But then there were the fine details. Things from his past that suddenly came back. Yuuto called herself Sailor Wing. The colors of her uniform were reminiscent of his Gundam, and her weapons appeared to be human-sized equivalents of the suit's armaments. Likewise, Sailor Aries could fly, and featured weapons and a color scheme not so different from the suit of the same name.

Perhaps most frightening of all, Yuuto knew things. His name, events from his past, and who knew what else? True, there were a few people in the world who knew these things, but would they have really passed them onto some strange albino girl?

The cab pulled up in front of the hotel with more than fifty dollars in fare left. Heero told the driver to keep it, then motioned for Yuuto to follow him.

"Don't say anything if you can help it," he said, trying to think of the story he would give Relena about why he'd been gone all day and was now returning with a strange woman at his side. A grim smile crossed his face. Maybe Relena wouldn't be that glad to see him safe after all.

But as they walked in the lobby, the familiar cry of "Heero!" ran through the air, and the blond woman ran towards him, throwing her arms around his neck. "Thank God," she whispered. "I saw the news about the New Edwards base, and I thought..."

He held her tight for a moment, realizing that like the kiss, this was the first time they'd embraced in public while. "It's okay," he murmured. "I'm fine. I wasn't anywhere near the base." The lie tasted sour in his mouth.

Releasing her, he stepped aside and gestured to Yuuto. "This is Yuuto Sora. She's an old friend of mine. We met while I was out this morning and I lost track of time while we were catching up," Heero explained. "My phone died, so that's why I wasn't able to call."

Relena was so happy at his safe return, she nodded all of this off without a word, then turned to look at the woman beside her bodyguard. She was about twenty, maybe a little older. Pretty, but dear God, she was a pale thing. Probably a skin condition of some sort. It gave the woman a rather icy look, but she bowed her head politely to the minister, and Relena had the feeling that if she had been wearing a dress, she would have even curtsied.

"Miss Relena, it's nice to finally be able to meet you," Yuuto remarked. Her voice was soft and rather expressionless, but there was nothing threatening in it. "Heero has told me a great deal about you."

_And he's told me nothing about you_, Relena thought as she smiled at the girl.

For the first time in eight years, a small spark of jealousy lit within her. Heero had told her a lot of things over the years, a lot of secrets he'd never shared with anyone. Never before had he mentioned a Yuuto Sora, with skin and hair as white as snow and eyes like pieces of flint. Had she been a soldier with him? Perhaps the daughter or granddaughter of Dr. J or one of those other strange scientists?

Or perhaps...perhaps this pale girl was a former lover.

Relena bit her lip. She needed to stop thinking about that. She'd gone into a panic when she heard about the attack on New Edwards and Heero was nowhere to be found. Without that protective shadow beside her, she had suddenly felt vulnerable, even paranoid. Although she had other bodyguards within her security team as well as several police officers guarding the building while the meetings were going on, she knew none of them were a match for Heero Yuy. He was the one person who could guarantee her safety. With anyone else, there was a tiny bit of risk that they might fail in the job.

And now the paranoia was putting all kinds of strange thoughts in her head. A former lover? Not likely. And even if she was, well, who cared? The past was the past, and she knew Heero was loyal to her. Fiercely loyal, in fact. The fact that his phone died probably came from all his fretting over her last night and forgetting to charge it.

Relena relaxed a little as these thoughts flowed through her head, and her smile grew a little more genuine. "It's nice to meet you too, Miss Sora. I'm always happy to meet a friend of Heero's." She held out her hand to the girl, who stared at her as though she'd just grown an extra head.

Heero cleared his throat slightly, and glanced at the pale girl. Yuuto blinked, then reached out to take Relena's hand, shaking rather weakly and unsteadily, as though she weren't sure if she were doing it right.

Raising an eyebrow slightly at her bodyguard, Relena dropped her hand. "Well, Heero, I would ask Miss Sora to join us for dinner but I want to go to New Edwards to speak to the people about what happened to day," she explained. She gave him an apologetic smile. "Sorry, but it looks like we'll have to put off dinner. But maybe Miss Sora would be willing to take my place?"

It was as he feared. Giving Yuuto another warning look not to say anything (she seemed happy to remain silent), he took Relena's hand between his. "You shouldn't go over there, Relena. You don't know how safe the conditions are."

"Then come with me," she said, a little exasperation in her voice. No doubt he would have anyway; he probably felt guilty for leaving her alone during the attack. "Either way, I need to leave soon."

"Don't," Heero squeezed tighter. "Think about yourself for once, Relena. They haven't caught the attackers yet. They could have a sniper somewhere, waiting for the right person to come along and make an example of."

She tilted her head. "Didn't you hear? All of the attackers were killed."

Shit. So they'd made the news after all.

Heero remained calm. "The military got all of them?"

Relena shook her head. "No, it's so strange. They say a girl appeared out of nowhere with a rifle and began taking them out one by one. Well, some reports say she had a sword, but either way, she killed every single one of them."

He tried not to breathe a sigh of relief. So he hadn't been seen. Well, Yuuto had managed to draw more of the attention to herself. Heero shot a surreptitious glance towards the girl to see if she had any reaction to Relena's words. None whatsoever. It looked like when it came to showing emotions, Yuuto Sora was as guarded as Heero Yuy.

"Do they know who the girl is?" he asked, putting his attention back on Relena.

"Witnesses say she called herself Sailor Wing. Which is strange-" _Because that was the name of your Gundam, Heero. _"-because the attackers all called themselves Sailor Aries. Similar names, but completely opposite sides."

"Or so we think," Heero said.

Ah, there was a reaction from Yuuto. A glimmer in her eye, a slight look of disbelief, even hurt. Yuuto clenched her fist. Hadn't she already proven her loyalties? Or would she have to fight another battle to convince the young man of whose side she was on?

"I'm supposed to have a full briefing on the incident in the morning," Relena said. "I'll make a more complete statement then. Right now I just need to let the people know I share their sympathies and feelings and that I want to find out why this happened as much as any of them."

"Then let them know from right here," Heero argued. "I'm not letting you go out there."

Relena looked into his eyes. Heero wasn't the controlling type. Usually he was content to let her act as she wished, always following along to make sure she didn't get hurt. Always present, but unobtrusive. This was the first time he had ever demanded anything from her, ever told her what to do.

Something told her then that he knew something about the attack. Was it true he'd been with Miss Sora all day? Was it true she was an old friend of his? Or did she have something to do with what had happened at New Edwards that afternoon?

She couldn't be a danger. Heero would never let her get this close if he thought the pale girl would be a threat to her. But he definitely knew something, he had to, and Relena would bet a thousand dollars Miss Sora did as well.

"All right," she said finally. "I'll talk to my publicist and make the statement from one of the conference rooms. If you're that worried, I won't stress you." Relena gave him a little squeeze, then rose up on her toes to whisper in his ear. "Maybe afterwards we can get room service and talk?"

Heero only nodded, grateful at least Relena would stay out of danger. But as she went off to make her arrangements, promising to meet him back here in the lobby in ten minutes, he was again left to Yuuto and the question of what to do with her.

She could read the query of his face. "Heero, I hate to ask this, but could I borrow some money? I was thinking of getting a room here for the night..."

"There won't be anything available. Not with the campaign stopping here." He thought a moment. "There's a spare bed in my room. You can take that."

He knew it was probably a stupid idea letting a strange girl sleep in his room, but if he could talk Relena into taking their dinner together in the executive suite she'd rented, maybe he could sleep there with her and she wouldn't raise any questions.

"Here," he said, taking the spare room key out of his wallet and handing it to her. "It's 1426. Make yourself at home. Order room service if you're hungry." He paused. Did a creature like her even get hungry?

Yuuto nodded. "I am, thank you," she replied, taking the card from him. "I'm sure I'll figure it out." She paused a moment. "Heero, if you don't mind, is there a computer I can borrow somewhere?"

A computer? For a girl who couldn't find the ladies' section at a JCPenney?

Well, he wasn't about to let her use his laptop. It was locked in the safe anyway, and he wasn't going to go up and get it out for her. But there was a business center near the fitness room with a few computers.

"Down that way," he pointed. "Follow the signs that say Business Center. They may charge you, but if they do they'll probably have a scanner for that card." He pointed to the key. "Run it through and charge it to the room."

"Okay," Yuuto nodded. "Anything else?"

He thought a moment. She would be fed, out of the way, and probably occupied with whatever she wanted a computer for. Maybe later, when Relena was settled down for the night, he could hack the hotel's system and see what exactly it was she was looking for. But so far, everything seemed acceptable.

"No. I'll check on you in a while," he said. "You should go before Relena comes back. We don't want to look suspicious."

The pale girl nodded again, then joined the crowd in the lobby as though she were just another human, just another face in the crowd.

* * *

Wufei had spent very unhelpful two days conducting interviews in Shanghai. The stories were exactly as Lady Une had predicted: Joe or Jane Victim went out for a walk, or to work, or over to a neighbor's house, and never made it. A few reported seeing strange lights, and one man was convinced an alien spaceship came down and took his wife off to the planet Neptune, but other than those few instances, they were typical disappearances. If it weren't for the fact that nearly 100 more had been reported over the course of those two days, they would have been shrugged off as just another fed-up person not wanting to be found.

Now he was headed off to Gucheng, a small village about a half-day's drive from his hotel. He'd rented a truck because the rental company was willing to cut him a deal. As it bumped along the road, he scanned the radio, trying to find either some decent music or some tolerable talk radio. Neither.

As the truck crested a hill, a spot of red about a half mile down the road caught his eye. It was a person, standing by the side of the road with their thumb out in the international request for a ride.

Usually, Wufei wasn't one to pick up hitchhikers. But the past couple of days had been trying; as a rather unsympathetic person, he got annoyed at the teary explanations and panicked theories of his interviewees, and the past three hours of nearly silent driving was making him crazy.

So he slowed the vehicle as it approached the figure, and it resolved itself into a young woman dressed in jeans and a bomber jacket with the sleeves pulled up to her elbows. The red he'd seen was her hair, a brilliant crimson cut to her chin at an angle, pin straight and rather edgy looking. She wore a pair of aviator sunglasses over her eyes and red sneakers on her feet, and unlike any normal hitchhiker, carried no bags.

He slowed the truck, wondering if maybe he shouldn't. Then again, she was only a girl, in good shape, but most likely unarmed, while he had both his katana behind the seat and a sidearm in his shoulder holster. The odds were definitely in his favor.

A small smile crossed the girl's face as she knocked on the window, and he rolled it down. "You headed that way?" she asked, pointing farther down the road.

"Yeah, need a ride?"

"It'd be nice, yeah," she replied.

He unlocked the door, and she nimbly climbed up into the seat and removed her sunglasses. When she looked back at him, he could see her face clearly had Asian features, but either the girl had some seriously mixed genetics or a very good pair of contacts, because her eyes were bright green, making the hair on her head stand out even more. But despite the odd look of her, she looked very familiar. Like someone he once knew.

"Thanks Mister, I appreciate this," she said, buckling her seatbelt.

"No problem," he answered, speeding up again. "What's your name?"

"Nataku," the girl said. "Call me Nataku."

With those words, the resemblance hit him. She looked like his dead wife.

* * *

The _Mary Helen_ entered port on the Big Island just as it was getting dark. Between the time she'd been fished out of the sea and now, Rina Valdis had been clothed and fed, but refused everyone's suggestion she go below deck and rest. Although she'd been frightened and shocked when first pull on board, her mental state had recovered quickly, and she'd been bouncing around the decks after Duo for several hours now. Although she looked to be in her early twenties, the girl seemed to have the mentality of a five-year-old.

He'd tried to get her to tell him about how she knew his name, about where she'd come from, and how the hell she'd even ended up in the middle of the ocean in the first place. But her response was always the same.

"It's a secret," she remarked with a smile and a wink.

Now that night was approaching, she seemed to be calming down a little bit. Wearing a purple camisole and a pair of cutoff jean shorts, she was leaning on the railing with the breeze moving through her short hair, her eyes fixed on the lights of Hilo.

"It's so pretty," Rina commented to the man beside her.

Duo was happy to see she wasn't bounding after him like a Jack Russell terrier anymore, but in truth her personality didn't bother him that much. When she looked at him, he could clearly see the gratefulness in her eyes, and for the first time in years, he felt like a hero again. And it was good to be admired like that. It was a feeling he missed.

Besides that, Rina was cute. Her face lit up at the sights and sounds of the harbor, and it looked like she might as well be at Disneyland, she was so excited.

"Ever been to Hawaii before, Rina?" Duo asked, leaning back against the rail and looking at the island over his shoulder.

"No, never," she said. "It looks beautiful." The girl tore her gaze away and looked at him. "Is this where you live, Duo?"

He laughed. "I wish. Nah, I live in space. Up on L2."

"Still, huh? With Hilde?"

The grin on his face instantly changed to a frown. "Now how in the hell did you know that? And how do you know about Hilde, huh?"

"Don't yell at me!" Rina cried, stepping back away from him and holding up her hands. "I was just asking! Jeez, I'm sorry! I didn't know!"

"But you know where I live."

"Lived."

"What does that even mean?"

Rina only shrugged and looked back at the lights. "I'm sorry," she repeated. "I didn't mean to make you mad."

Duo sighed. "It's okay, it's okay. I just wish you'd be a little less mysterious about...now what in the world are they doing?"

As the ship moved towards the docks, he saw pair of young women a few slips down staring at him. They were of similar height and build, and both were dressed in strange uniforms that looked a bit like schoolgirl uniforms. The first girl's was white, yellow, and orange, to match the ridiculous ankle-length pigtails that hung from either side of her head. The other had two deep blue spindle-shaped buns on top of her head resembling cat ears, and wore a uniform in gray, teal, and navy.

On the dock, the orange girl turned to the blue. "What should we do, Pisces? They've seen us!"

The blue girl set her jaw. "01 said no one should be notified of our presence yet. We have to destroy them, Cancer."

"Roger."

Both of the girls slipped into the water and disappeared.

Back on the _Mary Helen,_ Duo looked back at Rina. "Did you just see that?"

"Yeah," she replied. "I think that's probably not a good thing." She stood up and began to back away from the rail.

"Why do you say-"

Suddenly, then entire ship lurched, causing Duo to lose his balance and fall against the petite girl, who was still smiling, albeit rather sheepishly.

"Man, I didn't think they'd started already. Jeez..."

There was another thud, and one of the crew members ran over to them. "Duo! We've been hit by a torpedo!"

"What? How the hell did that happen? Who's got torpedoes anymore?" he cried, standing up straight.

"I don't know, but we're taking on water in the cargo hold fast!"

"You guys should probably get on a lifeboat," Rina suggested, then looked over at the braided man. "Hey Duo? Can you help me with something?"

"Rina, this isn't exactly the time to-"

"Please?" she asked, her eyes suddenly seeming to grow much larger and more pitiful.

He sighed, then looked back at the crewmen. "Yeah, get the lifeboats. I'll be there in a minute. Make sure the old man gets out alive and doesn't go down with the ship, okay?" He turned his attention to Rina. "Okay kid, what is it?"

"I just need to borrow your Star Seed for like, ten minutes. I swear I'll give it back afterwards, promise." She held up her pinky to prove it.

Duo, however, was confused. "My what now?"

There was another blast, and Rina began to look more impatient. "Look, just give me your hand, okay? Everything will be over really quick if you just trust me."

"That's not really the kind of thing you say when you want people to trust you."

"Duo!"

He held up his hands. "Okay, okay! Fine! But you better not get me killed," he said, reaching out to her.

Rina grinned. "I promise, I won't. Besides, this'll be really cool."

She grasped his hand, and her entire body began to glow pale purple. Rising up about two feet in the air, odorless black smoke began to surround her, until it completely concealed her body. She broke her grasp with his hand, and suddenly the smoke cleared. Standing on the deck was Rina, dressed in a two-part outfit similar to those of the two girls on the dock. Her top was gray, however, with a black collar and no sleeves, and her black choker featured a small skull in the very center of it. The two layers of her skirt were black and lavender, with a short pale purple bow on her back. A gray tiara with a black stone crossed her forehead, and matching black stud earrings shone in her earlobes. On her feet she wore black ankle boots, on her hands short gray gloves with black bands, and on her chest was a pale purple bow and a shining white crystal in the center.

Rina flicked her wrist, and a long silver rod appeared. A split second later, the top erupted into a beam scythe, nearly identical to the one Duo himself had used while piloting his Gundam all those years ago.

"No way..." he breathed.

"Neat, huh? Now I just need you to do one more thing: Pray for me," Rina replied cheerfully, then climbed up on the rail and looked down at the water. "Okay you two, time for adult swim! Everyone out of the pool!"

The girls' heads broke the surface a moment and stared up at her in completely confusion. Cancer looked over at Pisces. "Is she on our team?" she asked.

"I don't think so..." her friend replied as Rina jumped over the edge of the boat.

"You guys had better prepare yourselves! My name is Sailor Deathscythe, and my job is to take out bad guys like you!" she cried as she crashed into the water.

"What are you doing?" Duo yelled from the deck of the boat. "You can't swim, you idiot!"

Well, maybe Rina Valdis couldn't swim, but Sailor Deathscythe didn't seem to have a problem with it. And her beam scythe didn't seem too affected by the water either. Although it was dark and Duo couldn't see exactly what was going on below the waves, he could still see the green light of her weapon slashing through the water.

He was also aware of a pulling sensation on his heart. A heart attack at twenty three? Now, of all times? Man, that would just suck.

He tried to ignore the feeling, and kept his gaze focused on the water. Although Duo wasn't really a praying man when it came to God, he definitely found himself hoping the dark-haired girl would resurface.

"Come on, Rina..." he murmured. The pulling sensation began to fade, and he wondered if that meant she was dying. She'd been down there an awfully long time, but he could still see the light. It was still moving, and not just with the waves.

All of a sudden, there was an explosion of light beneath the waves. Two small objects rose up out of the water, levitated in the air for a few moments, then flew off into the night before he could see what they were. The green light in the water went out.

"Rina!" Duo yelled. The ship was beginning to sink faster now, and he could hear the others yelling for him to get to the lifeboat. But he couldn't leave her down there, not after he'd already saved her. After all, according to that old Chinese or Indian proverb or whatever, he was responsible for her life now. He had to make sure she was all right.

Just as he was getting ready to jump in after her, he saw a dark head pop out of the water and heard a deep gasp of breath. Relief filled his heart.

Rina looked up at him from the water. "It's okay, Duo! I'm fine! But do you think you could throw me a line? I'm not a very good swimmer."

* * *

It was midnight in Athens, and the girl crept from the man's bed. She was a stunningly beautiful creature: tall, with long blond hair and the sort of body that drove men wild. Her eyes had an enchanting quality about them as well.

"They look like rubies," the man had slurred when he picked her up at the bar three hours ago.

Rubies, or blood.

The man was a pawn shop owner. That was the whole reason she'd gone home with him. Ever since she had awoken alone and naked in an alley yesterday, the girl had learned quickly from the experiences shared by the prostitutes who found her: find yourself a man with a gun and money if you can, then get to the black market.

The man not only had a pistol of his own, but an entire cabinet of weapons in the shop downstairs, along with drawers of ammunition. And the idiot had been so drunk that he'd handed the girl the keys when he brought her home.

"Here sweetheart, you open the door. The lock keeps moving."

Idiot. She wanted to kill him for his stupidity alone. She was a ruthless person, and rarely felt pity for those more unfortunate than herself, let alone for people whose troubles could be blamed entire on themselves.

She dressed silently in the corset top and hot pants the prostitutes had given her, then picked up the stilettos she'd worn up to the apartment, not wanting to make too much noise. Glancing at her reflection in the mirror, she blanched. The first thing she would buy, she decided, was clothes. And luckily, when she took the man's wallet from where he'd left it on the dresser, there was enough cash in there to buy an acceptable, if not particularly fashionable, outfit.

Tucking the cash, credit cards, and driver's license in her bra, she took the keys from the chair where she'd left them, and silently slipped downstairs. Her stinking bedfellow didn't so much as move, he was so drunk. He'd only lasted about a minute, and the entire experience had been disgusting for the girl. After she got clothes, she'd have to find a shower somewhere, anywhere. She would even jump in the river to clean off his stench.

Downstairs, she unlocked the door to the shop and found the guns easily, right next to a rack of knives and swords. Of these, she selected a small switch blade, and tucked it in her corset with the money.

Now came the difficult part: firearms. Choices choices. After a minute or so, she finally settled on a Magnum, then found the appropriate shells in his ammo drawer. Loading the gun, she was about to tuck it in the waistband of her pants when she saw a rack of ladies' purses on the wall. Selecting one that was large enough to hold the gun, but not so large as to be obtrusive, she dropped the gun inside.

She was about to leave when she remembered the cash register. She'd assumed it would be a more advanced system, a computer needing a correct login, but no, it was one of the old-fashioned models, requiring only a key to open the drawer. Which, of course, she had.

After a few minutes of trial and error, she finally found the correct one and popped the drawer open, cursing a little as a loud ding rang through the store. She was sure it would wake the owner up, but there were no sounds from upstairs.

The take wasn't as good as she'd hoped. Only about five hundred, maybe a little more. Hopefully enough to get her the identification she needed, with extra left over to cover expenses and a ticket to space. If it wasn't...well, that's what the gun was for.

She slipped out of the shop, leaving the keys on the foot of the stairs leading to the apartment. As she stepped out onto the street, she saw all of the shops were closed and the bars were winding down. So much for getting new clothing. Oh well, at least the black market would be open 24/7.

The place she was headed was called the Trago, a bar belonging to a man named Stavros who supposedly had I.D.s and credit cards available if you needed them. She found the place after about twenty minutes of searching. Although it was unsurprisingly seed, the bouncer outside the door nevertheless gave her rather a critical look as she approached.

"I don't think so ma'am," the one said. "There's a dress code."

Reaching into her corset, she pulled out the wad of bills she'd taken from the shop owner's wallet. "I'm looking for Stavros, and I'm in a bit of a hurry," she remarked, giving him a rather sweet smile and pressing the bills into his hand.

The bouncer held them up to the light of the lamppost overhead, then waved towards the door. "Go on in. He's at the back table."

Her smile grew, and she gave him a coquettish wink and walked past.

The dress code was clearly a lie in order to get bribes, as there were several women in the bar dressed even more scandalously than the blond girl. A few of them glanced at her; she thought she saw one of the prostitutes from the river. But the man she was looking for was at the back table, wearing a beret and smoking a cigar as he talked with a few other rather rough-looking characters.

All of them stopped and stared at her as she approached, casting appreciative glances up and down her body.

_Pigs_, the girl thought, then offered them the same dazzling smile that had gotten her in. "Excuse me gentlemen, I'm looking for a Mr. Stavros?"

The one in the middle with a mustache rose. "That would be me, Miss. What can I do for you?" he asked, then gave her a little wink. "Looking for a job, perhaps? Something to earn some extra pocket money? I may have an opening, if you're interested."

She wanted to roll her eyes and spit out that she wasn't interested in any job he would give her, but forced herself to stay cool. Instead, she pulled out the money she'd taken from the cash register at the pawn shop. "Actually I'm looking to buy," she said. "I heard you were a fellow who might be able to help someone needing an identity."

"Ah," he said, a little disappointed. But he was far from saddened at the prospect of earning money, and stepped away from the table. "Very well then, Miss..."

"There's no reason for you to know my name. "Miss" will do fine," the blond girl said, her voice growing a little more snippy.

His glare hardened. "I see," he said, then motioned towards a back room. "Back here then. Let's see what I might have for you."

With every step she took, the girl was more grateful she had the gun on her. Although Stavros appeared to be in his fifties, he still looked strong enough to subdue her if it came to that. She would have to try harder not to offend him. A gun might keep him from hurting her, but no way would she be able to kill him and get out of this place alive.

"So, what is it you were looking for?" Stavros asked as they stepped into what appeared to be an office. "Papers, credit cards, weapons..."

"A passport. A driver's license and a credit card as well," she said.

He nodded. "The works then. It's going to cost you."

"I can pay. But I want to see the goods first. I'm not going to give you anything for bad fakes."

Stavros slammed his fist on the desk. "Your rudeness is getting on my nerves, Miss. I suggest you adjust your attitude, or I'll have to ask you to leave."

_Shit. Real it in, _the girl told herself. She took a few deep breaths, then smiled.

"Forgive me, sir. It's just that it's been a very rough day and I'm in a bit of a hurry. I don't mean to be so troublesome, I really don't," she apologized.

He seemed to regain his composure some as well, even smiling back at her. "Of course, my dear. I certainly understand." But there was something in his eyes that said he wasn't going to forgive her, and the girl had a feeling her things were about to become a great deal more expensive for her.

Going to a file cabinet, Stavros opened a draw and began to thumb through folders before finally pulling one out and setting it on the desk. "Here, give that a look. I think she'll fit you well."

In the folder was a passport, driver's license, credit card, and bank account information for a twenty-two year old woman named Shanti Nikostratos. Her hair was a great deal shorter than that of the young woman in the office, and her eyes were brown, not red, but otherwise there was a decent resemblance. Certainly enough to pass by.

"This will do lovely," the girl replied, looking back up and him and laying her money on the desk. "How much for it?"

"Fifteen hundred for everything," Stavros replied, snatching the money and counting through it quickly. "Ah, but it seems you've come up a bit short..."

"How much to let go of the bank information?" she asked.

"One thousand. Still not enough," he replied. He set the money down, then reached over to run a hand down her neck. "But I pity you, Miss. You seem to be in a great deal of trouble. I'd certainly be willing to..._barter_ for the file..."

Oh no. Not twice in one night. The woman was far too proud to whore herself out twice in one night.

But she was crafty as well, and as her breathing hitched in anxiety, she felt the knife she'd stowed in her top.

"I think that would be reasonable," she purred, standing up and moving around until she was behind him. Her hands went to his shoulders and she began to rub them slowly. Then, taking a deep breath and hating herself the entire way, she leaned down and began to kiss the salty skin of his neck, nibbling and sucking until she was eliciting moans from his lips. One hand began to slid down his back as she turned his head to kiss his lips.

Just as he slipped his tongue into her mouth, she pulled out the switch blade, flicked it open with one soft click, then slice across his throat.

Stavros gasped, but she held him against her, despite feeling his blood spurting into her mouth. He tried to gurgle for help, but the only sounds that could be heard were a man clearly enjoying the lovely young woman who'd entered with him.

She kept her mouth on his for almost an entire minute, his blood dribbling down her chin, until she was sure he was dead. When he had stopped breathing, she spat out another mouthful of blood and laid him on the floor behind the desk. Although she thought she might vomit at the taste in her mouth, she forced it back, then gathered Shanti Nikostratos' belongings from the folder and placed them in the purse, along with the money that she could now take with her. Looking around, she saw a small high window above the file cabinet, and although it was locked, it opened easily once unlatched.

In less than ten minutes of entering the bar, the girl now known as Shanti escaped a free woman, and set off on the long journey to outer space.


End file.
